LA Kings: A breakdown why the Kings are so bad in the first period
The LA Kings are mired in last place of the NHL Honda West Division. Here is a period-by-period breakdown of their season so far.
The LA Kings entered the 2021 season with a mixture of hope and potential, but also with tempered expectations. The hope came from the seven-game win streak that ended last season and had some in the fanbase believing this team was finally on the rise.
You might have heard that the LA Kings have arguably the number one rated prospect pool in the NHL, and with some of those prospects being inserted into the lineup this season, the potential for an exciting season was and still is there. With all of this comes the tempered expectation that many pundits still consider the LA Kings to be a lottery team, and their play recently has reflected that.
Certainly, the LA Kings are a team in transition. With only five players leftover from the roster that won the Stanley Cup in 2014, the glory days seem like a distant memory. In an attempt to keep that championship window open, multiple first-round draft picks were traded away, which ultimately plunged the team into a rebuild. The rebuild yielded several high draft picks that have built the vaunted prospect pool – but many of them are a year or two away from playing in the NHL.
The LA Kings are currently in last place in the NHL Honda West Division with a 3-6-3 record for a total of 9 points. The team has lost five games in a row, and while it is too early to throw in the figurative towel on the season, if things aren’t turned around soon, the playoffs may very well end up out of reach. It is true injuries to key players have plagued the Kings during this losing streak, but this team has had inconsistency problems as well.
The goaltending (especially Cal Petersen) and special teams have been above average, but the five on five play on both the offensive and defensive sides of the puck has been terrible. To further breakdown the Kings’ consistency problems, let’s look at their period-by-period play in terms of goals for/goals against and shots on goal for/shots on goal against.
For argument’s sake, I’ve left out overtime and shootout stats, as each game does not have these.
The LA Kings dreaded first period.
To put it simply, the LA Kings need to set an alarm clock for the start of their games, as the team seems to be sleepwalking in the first period. The chart below illustrated this point exactly.
Opponent GF/GA SOGF/SOGA
vs Min 1/1 7/6
vs Min 1/1 11/14
vs Col 0/1 9/9
vs Col 0/2 7/12
@StL 0/1 5/13
@StL 2/1 14/7
@Min 0/0 12/6
vs Ana 0/1 4/15
@VGK 0/3 10/9
@VGK 2/3 12/13
vs SJ 0/2 4/12
As you can see, the Kings have been outscored in the first period in eight of their first twelve games. Not surprisingly, this correlates to the team being outshot by their opponent in seven of those games.
The LA Kings are putting themselves behind the eight ball too often to start their games, making it even more difficult than necessary to win games.
The second period, where the magic happens
Now, this is more like it! Much like Peter Frampton in 1976 (I know, I just dated myself), the LA Kings come alive in the second period. This chart will illustrate that they are a whole new team in the middle frame.
Opponent GF/GA SOGF/SOGA
vs Min 2/0 14/12
vs Min 2/0 13/12
vs Col 0/2 8/10
vs Col 2/0 12/10
@StL 2/2 10/8
@StL 3/0 14/11
@Min 1/0 4/13
@Min 2/1 15/12
vs Ana 1/1 7/18
@VGK 0/2 12/15
@VGK 1/0 10/10
vs SJ 2/0 12/9
Kings should start every game like it’s the second period imo.
— Rink Royalty (@RinkRoyalty) February 10, 2021
If the LA Kings only played second periods, they would be a playoff team. Unfortunately for the team and it’s fans, that’s obviously not how it works. What is for certain, however, is the Kings are capable of great play, they just have to figure out how to do it on it a consistent basis.
The third period.
The third-period success rates are mixed for the LA Kings. The chart will show they have been outscored in this period in exactly half of their games so far, while only being outshot in four of those games. The bad news is that four times this season, they have blown third-period leads, resulting in three losses.
Opponent GF/GA SOGF/SOGA
vs Min 0/2 12/7
vs Min 0/2 7/15
vs Col 2/0 8/5
vs Col 2/0 8/4
@StL 0/1 9/8
@StL 1/2 13/7
@Min 1/1 5/14
@Min 1/1 14/6
vs Ana 0/1 10/10
@VGK 2/0 7/12
@VGK 0/1 10/10
vs SJ 1/1 10/11
The LA Kings clearly have a starting and finishing problem, but as the charts show, the team still has hope for improvement. The multitude of injuries has put the normal lineup in flux, and with that, inconsistency can be expected. Transitioning young players into the lineup, while exciting, will also bring the growing pains that can be expected with those players.
Next. Defensive injuries progress is best news for team. dark
In all fairness, this season for the Kings cannot be judged until they get the likes of Matt Roy, Sean Walker, and Andreas Athanasiou back in the lineup on a regular basis. Let’s just hope they get back soon.